David Ige, the governor of the state, placed the island and 5 other townships in an emergency state after a dam overflowed in Maui.
Hawaii is a state of emergency. After a dam overflowed in Maui, thousands of people had to be evacuated to protect them from rising waters. In Hawaii and the surrounding townships, torrential rains and landslides caused the destruction of several homes.
According to Reuters, the Honolulu Emergency Management Department has ordered people to leave Haleiwa, a community of a few thousand people, to travel north to the state capital, Honolulu.
Hawaii News Now reported that two people were swept away on Tuesday March 9 in raging waters . One of them, a 27-year-old man, was rescued by the authorities. The search for the second person was scheduled to resume on Wednesday, according to the report. The authorities did not report any injuries.
In Maui, heavy rains damaged roads, leaving them impassable, with one bridge completely destroyed and another relocated, the governor’s office said.
State emergency management officials said the rains led to the crest of the Kaupakalua Dam in the northern Haiku region, prompting authorities to open evacuation shelters and urging people not to go back home. Six homes were severely damaged or destroyed, Maui Mayor Michael Victorino said.
The declaration of a state of emergency covers the townships of Hawaii, Maui, Kalawao, O’ahu and Kaua’i, the governor’s office said in a statement.